In 2006, Vallecitos partnered with the City of San Marcos to help provide funding to install a native plant garden at Jack's Pond Park. With around 100 community volunteers including the local Boy Scouts and San Marcos Rotary Club to name a few, about 600 native plants were installed to create a beautiful and natural water-wise garden. The garden is divided into four "communities" of plants with related or complementary growing habits and is allowed to grow and naturalize to match the surrounding area.

The garden is an integral part of Jack's Pond nature programs, in which children from preschool to third grade learn about water conservation, geology and native plants and animals by hiking through the park, exploring the pond and visiting the on-site nature center. In 2005, Vallecitos partnered with the City of San Marcos to offer education programs at Jack's Pond Park by giving visiting elementary students a presentation about water history and conservation, and by paying for school bus transportation to the park. This partnership helped Vallecitos earn the "Partners in Education" Award from the City of San Marcos in 2013.

• Click here for an article about the garden 
• General Park Information